


Everything Changes One Way or Another (Gaster x Skeleton!Reader)

by AceOfSpades6



Category: Undertale
Genre: F/M, Gaster x Reader - Freeform, Gaster x skeleton reader, x Reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2019-10-31 22:39:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17858330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceOfSpades6/pseuds/AceOfSpades6
Summary: You finally escaped those humans who held you captive. After years of torture, you finally reached the Underground and wish to start a new life. You are reacquainted with your friends before you were captured. Though, you never expected to see HIM again. You saw him die…right?





	1. Running

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally escaped. Will you be able to stay free forever though.

You didn’t think you would be able to run much longer. Your soul pounded in your rib cage and, though you didn’t necessarily need to breathe, your chest heaved with the effort. Your bare feet clicked as you stumbled.

A gunshot echoed throughout the dense woods You were running through. The sound bounced off the trees and filled you with fear. 

How did they keep finding you? It was the question you kept asking yourself. They weren’t even using the dogs like last time. Suddenly it hit you. The last time you tried to run, they injected you with something. Right into your marrow. You looked down at your arm and cringed.

You summoned a bone attack, not pausing from your running. You sure hoped you were right. After all, things don’t go too far through bone.

You took a deep breath, and jammed the bone into your arm. You stifled a scream. Even after years of torture, you never got used to pain. You moved the bone back and forth, chunks of bone fell to the floor. You saw something glowing and let the attack dissipate. Clenching your jaw, you stuck your phalanges into the exposed inside of your arm and fished it out. You through the blinking device as far as you could to the left, before running to the right.

You weren’t going to let them catch you. Not when you were so close. You had heard the humans talking once. About how the rest of the monsters had been trapped underground. Right under a mountain. For years, you had been planning your escape. Observing the pattern of the guard and figuring out when and where people were at a certain time. You were smart and observant, you used that to your advantage. 

A mountain loomed over you in the night. Seeming to give an eerie feeling to those who set eyes upon it. Not to you. To you it was a salvation. And you felt happy at what you knew it will provide. A home. And maybe, some friends to.

You had gotten rid of your tail. The humans’ footsteps had receded and you were finally safe. Safe. Almost foreign to you. It was warm and welcoming. A feeling you wanted to give in to. You declined. The only time you were going to be safe was if you were inside of that mountain, where no one can reach you. 

You continued to move your aching bones, the exhaustion holding you back slightly. When you could take no more, you collapsed on the ground. You tried to get up and fell. Concentrating, you finally stood and managed to press forward in a slow walk. You lost your footing, and fell into a very deep,

.

Deep

.

Deep

.

Hole

A sickening crack was barely heard over the wind flowing past you. Pain exploded in your face and your vision went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! More chapters are to come.


	2. Smells Like Home Used To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’ve done it. You’ve finally done it. Your free.

The memories swirled in your head, occupying your dreams. Phalanges entwined with yours, grief, fire, smoke, an explosion, a loud crack, a pain, red, and a dark, cold room. Each one overloaded your senses and made you want to scream. You didn’t want to remember this, you were forced to.

After all of that, you felt something calm and soothing. You recognized this feeling. It was heeling magic. Someone was trying to help you. 

Your eye sockets opened, and you saw a familiar face. She looked older, but nonetheless, the same as she did when you were a child. To her motherly smile, her fluffy pristine white fur, and her soft touch. Queen Toriel was doing her best to heal you.

Green flames danced around you, filling you with HoPe. The pain faded away and you felt restored. You gave Toriel a thankful smile.

“Thank you Tori.” The words were hoarse and almost painful. She smiled.

“You are most welcome my child. I know it may sound strange, but.... You look familiar to me.” Toriel tilted her head to the side, a sign she was trying to think.

“It has been awhile. The last time you saw me, I was just a child.” You tried your best to croak the words out. When was the last time you talked? “I’m (Y/n).” 

Her eyes widened with realization. You would have laughed if you could. 

“My child! We thought you had died!!” Toriel gasped. You gave a weak smile. You were tired. You knew that you had gotten weak during your time on the surface, you didn’t even know how you managed to get as far as you did. 

Toriel noticed your tiredness and scooped you up in your arms. You were about a normal height for skeletons, however, Toriel was much taller and could easily hold you in her arms. You drifted off into sleep.

~•~

Toriel was surprised to find something other than a human on that patch of flowers. Even more surprised to find an adult female skeleton.

She was laying on her side with a large crack on the side of her face. She wore nothing but what looked to be a hospital gown. She looked starved. Toriel acted quickly, immediately rushing over and began sending as much green magic as she could. Toriel pulled up the stats of the skeleton.

LV: 1  
HP: 5/30  
Atk: 50  
Def: 60  
Oddly familiar

Toriel felt as if she knew this skeleton. She didn’t quite know for sure. The skeleton’s eye sockets opened and Toriel’s eyes met two white pinpricks. Upon eye contact, the pinpricks flickered in a dim (s/c). Very familiar.

~•~

You fell into a dream, or rather, a memory. Your mother and father were talking quietly, making sure you wouldn’t be able to hear them. You did.

“The human forces have gotten closer to the camp.” Your father said in a hushed tone.

“How did they get past the boundaries?” Your mother asked.

“They have a few mages.” Your mother responded with a word You now knew as a curse.

Your bones began to ache from the painful position you were in. You shifted slightly and your foot brushed against a metal object, causing a loud scraping noise. Your parents looked over to you as you crouched behind the flap of the tent door. Your father sighed.

“Come here (Y/n).” He called, a soft smile seemingly showing on his teeth. You went over to him and he picked you up. “What did I tell you about eavesdropping.”

“That it was rude and I shouldn’t do it.” You looked down in shame.

“That’s right.” You mother said.

“I’m sorry. I was worried. Are you going to go away again for awhile like last time?” At this your mother and father froze before sighing. You knew your answer.

“Why don’t you go visit Grillby.” Your mother offered. You quickly scrambled out of your fathers arms at the mention of visiting your shy friend.

“Okay!” You began hurrying towards Grillby’s tent with a happy smile.

You weren’t an idiot. Even though you were young, you weren’t that oblivious. You just chose not to mention it. You were aware you were in a war, and that your parents might not come back one day. 

Your parents had high positions, your father being a captain and your mother a scientist. They had to leave for days at a time. You spent more time with Grillby and his parents than you would have hoped. 

Your parents were worried that you would have to participate in this war too. You were qualified to be a boss monster in the future. Your level of HoPe was already high for a child and was going to be even higher as you got older. Your attack and defense was strong as well. That is why your parents tried to teach you everything they could. Your father trained your magic and your mother taught you science and often told you the projects she was working on.

You almost fell as you tripped over your feet. You should have been paying more attention. You neared the tent that Grillby lived in.

•~• 

You woke up in a child’s room. Or what you assumed was one. Everything was small and low to the ground. Your feet were hanging off the edge of the bed.

You smelled a familiar, mouthwatering scent. Pie was placed in the middle of the floor. You quickly got up and picked up the fork and the plate and began to eat. The tingle of magic filled your being. You checked your stats to find that your max HP went up by two.

You were smiling to yourself. You had finally made it. You were safe. You had finally made it home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.


	3. Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a bit of backstory

Imagine the apocalypse. Imagine it will happen tomorrow and only you know. Imagine the possibilities of what would happen. What would you do? 

Would you warn people and let their last moments be in chaos and worry? Would you try to prevent it? Or would you spend every waking moment making the best of it?

These were the questions the monsters asked themselves during the war. Hope was limited. Children were oblivious, hidden from the truth. People would cry for a loss they were already expecting, they told their worries to others and, in turn, made them worry too. Loved ones spent every moment with each other. They told themselves that they would see tomorrow, but there were always doubts. 

And how did this effect you? Even for a young child, you knew. You knew that there was a possibility that everyone you knew would die. You were aware that your parents taught you as much as they could, they believed that they had little time to teach and wanted you to survive if they couldn’t. You could see the hope dim in your people’s eyes everyday, knowing one day it would be gone. You spent every moment you could trying to build that hope. Ignite that spark. It was no suprise. You had plenty of HoPe to share.

You made friends. You made memories. You grew in HoPe. You laughed and joked. You became well-known with everyone in camp. 

You lost. You watched your fellow monsters lose the ones they loved. You watched as children began to realize that time was becoming limited. More people went to war. Less came back. 

You watched your friends fall into grieving. Each and everyone had something to mourn. Whether it was friends, family, or homes. 

You observed as grief turned into HATE. It became rage and anger. A symphony of wails and war cries could be heard each day. And it broke your heart.

~•~

You felt it before you even heard it. Screaming. Then came the smell. Smoke. 

You looked around the large tent. Your parents were getting ready. Your father was grabbing his sword and your mother filling a bag with bandages and healing items.

Your thoughts almost clouded out the fact that your mother was telling you to get whatever you held most dear. You didn’t need anything. It was your friends and family you needed. And what scared you most were the thoughts that not everyone would come.

You were told to join the group of children that were being taken to the next campsite. You were scared-No you were terrified. Your breath hitched. 

When you made it outside, the sight was horrific. Tents were on fire, screaming was heard, and dust and magic were carried by the wind. Hot, glowing (s/c) tears flooded your face and your eyes burned with the same color. Your heart sank.

You and Grillby shared the same horrified glance. Grillby’s flames were threatening to grow as he imagined the worst. You both knew you may never see your parents again. Both had the same realization that the next camp you go to may end up the same. 

~•~

Your parents never returned. Nobody who wasn’t in the group came back. Grillby had lost his father. You were both grieving. You chose not to show it. You stayed with Grillby and his mom. You and Grillby were practically brother and sister. Grillby had fallen into grief. He cried and wailed. You would hug him and try not to cry as well. It was hard.

You still tried your best to give people HoPe. You made new friends in the camp. You would comfort Grillby and his mom and do small things to show your appreciation.

~•~

 

You had been in this camp for about a month. By now, you had gained the friendship of multiple monsters. There was one who you could never seem to befriend. His name was Doggo. And he was the biggest jerk, in friendly terms, that you had ever met.

You were going to your ‘special place,’ a tree in which you would sit under and read. It was quiet and peaceful. You stopped momentarily on your path as you saw Doggo and his friends crowded near the edge the camp.

You shrugged it off for a moment and took a step forward. He was probably just goofing off with his friends. You stopped again when you heard a panicked cry.

You whirled toward the group and felt your, metaphorical, blood boil. There was no way he was going to get away with this. Not while you were here.

You walked toward Doggo and his goons. Your eye lights flickering in rage. You let an angry yell come from your mouth. 

“What is going on here!” You yelled. They turned to face you in surprise, giving you a clear view of who they were traumatizing. 

He was a skeleton about your age. He wore a light gray sweater that was a little too big, the sleeves going past his hands. His right eye seemed to be halfway closed. The glasses he wore were misaligned on his face, the tape barely holding it there. There was a red scarf a few inches away from him. The skeleton’s face was filled with pleading and his eye lights glowed a bright violet. 

You whirled to face Doggo. Your anger was building each second. 

“What. Do. You. Think. You. Are. Doing.” You seethed. You teeth were clenched. Being a skeleton, it was obvious. By Asgore, he was going to get a serious talking to. “You cant just hurt someone! Are you completely brain dead?!? We are in the middle of a war! Why are you-” Your jaw shut with a loud click. You took a deep breath to calm yourself.

Doggo was surprised. He had never seen you so angry before. He had to admit that you could be scary.

Without any words, you walked calmly towards the skeleton and offered him your hand. You gave a small, gentle smile. He took it and you helped him up. You gave him his scarf and grabbed his hand. You pulled him away from the group and began walking towards your special place on autopilot. It was a moment before he broke the silence.

“❄️👇🏻✌🏻☠️😐 ✡️🏳️✝️.” (THANK YOU.) You smiled. He spoke in Wingdings. It was a font that skeletons would use to communicate secrets and information. Your father had taught you once and you were happy it had come in handy. 

His eyes widened and spectral hands appeared, seeming to sign at a rapid pace while speaking more Wingdings.

“💧🏳️☀️☀️✡️ ✡️🏳️✝️ 🚩☀️🏳️👌🏻✌🏻👌🏻☹️✡️ 👎🏻🏳️☠️❄️ ✝️☠️👎🏻👈🏻-“ (SORRY YOU PROBABLY DONT UNDE-) You cut him off.

“It’s okay. I understand you.” He stops for a moment and gapes at you. Then his eye lights turn into stars and he begins to bounce excitedly before he stops himself and regains his composure. You suppress a giggle. 

“I’m (Y/n). What’s your name?”


	4. Snowdin

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Repeat.

You were sitting up in bed, doing breathing exercises. The dream- no, nightmare had shaken you up a bit. 

Breathe in and out.

You had finally calmed your soul to the point where it was no longer slamming the inside of your rib cage. 

You stepped out of the child’s room that had been your room for the past week. Meaning it was the day that Toriel would let you explore more of the Underground. 

Your soul jumped in your chest. Why were you nervous. There was no reason to be…right? Then why were you scared?

Because you were afraid of coming to terms with your fears. What if everyone you knew was gone? Not only killed in the war, but…grew up without you? You didn’t know. What if everyone was gone? What if you were still back in that place and this was just another way to torture you? They had messed with your mind in the past. What if-

“(Y/n)? What are you doing up?” You stopped when you heard Toriel’s voice. You had unconsciously walked into the kitchen, where Toriel seemed to be making breakfast.

You blinked. You could have sworn your eye lights went out for a second.

“I uh… was excited about seeing more of the Underground!” You said quickly. She narrowed her eyes for a second, then gave you a small smile. It was probably obvious that you didn’t sleep well. A quick glance in the mirror would tell you all you need to know about the dark bags under your eye sockets.

“Can I help you with that?” You gestured towards the oven, “you could finally give me that tuTORIEL on baking.” She laughed at your joke. You had been reading some of her books as the time passed. Some were on math and science, as well as many learning books. One you had found, was a joke book. 

“Depends. Can you take the HEAT.” She gave you a smirk. You laughed.

~•~

The morning had consisted of the two of you baking and having a pun battle once in a while. After you and Toriel both ate a slice of the butterscotch-cinnamon pie, you both went down to the basement.

When you placed your skeleton hand on the large door, the coldness of it seemed to travel into your very soul itself. You shivered. Toriel had made you wear an especially large sweater, as well as an explanation. It snowed on the other side, a feat you knew wouldn’t be possible without magic.

You turned to Toriel and hugged her.

“I promise to knock on the door once in a while.” You said. Both of you pulled away and Toriel gave something long and black. It looked like it had buttons with numbers on it. You gave her a confused look.

“It’s a phone. You can use it to contact me anytime.” She showed you the basics. After, the both of you embraced one more time and gave your goodbyes. She walked back upstairs. You braced your skeletal hands on the door and pushed.

The cold wind blew in and you had to close your eye sockets. You shut the doors behind you and opened your sockets again.

The sight was baffling. Around you, were forests. Pine trees if you recalled. They seemed to form a pathway heading straight. Glistening white snow covered the ground. Truly beautiful.

You took a step forward and relished the sound of the snow crunching beneath your feet. You recalled that it had been years since you’ve seen snow. It looked even prettier now. 

You continued on your way, the snow crunching under your feet.

~•~

You had passed by a couple monsters on your way. They all stared at you wide eyed. When you saw someone you recognized, it was your turn to be shocked.

You knew him when he was a kid. Heck, you were a kid then too. He still looked almost exactly the same. The only thing really new, was the fact that he was taller. And seemed to be smoking dog treats. You knew that wasn’t healthy.

“…Doggo?” His ears perked up towards you. His eyes scanned the area, but passed over you. But, you’re right in front of him? 

“Yeah? Who’s asking?” His eyes once again scanned the area. You took a step forward. His eyes focused on you and he fell backwards into the snow. “Doc?!” You frowned.

“…No?” You said uncertainty. You moved to help him up. You noticed he only seemed to focus on you if he moved. You realized that his eyesight probably wasn’t the best anymore. You shifted from side to side, letting him see you. His eyes seemed to widen more.

“You… you’re another skeleton! But, how? Most of them die off in the war? There’s only one left!” Doggo looked over you once again, “why do you seem so familiar?” You laughed.

“How long has it been. Last time we talked I was scolding you for sneaking Sonya’s brownies.” You smiled at the memory of the flame elemental before frowning. Doggo’s eyes widened once again in recognition. 

“(Y/n)? We thought you died! After the invasion we…” He trailed off and shook his head from the memory, “where have you been?” 

“I uh, I’m not entirely sure…I know it was somewhere on the surface…” You spoke quietly, he heard you.

“The surface?” 

“I really don’t want to talk about it.”

The two of you caught up. He told you he was a sentry and that he was on patrol for humans. After a while you bid him farewell and began walking towards the town. He had given you directions.

You saw a sign and read it out loud.

“Welcome to Snowdin.”


	5. A Familiar, and Warm, Face

Snowdin was a very comforting place. Despite the cold, your soul felt warm as you watched monsters go about their daily lives. You even spotted some monster children having a snowball fight.

It was all so strange to you, and yet, slightly familiar. You shivered, freezing at the moment. You felt it would be best to find somewhere warm before you froze to death. You recalled that skeletons weren’t usually bothered by the increase or decrease in temperature, so this was odd to you. You brushed that thought away, and began to explore the lovely town.

You passed by a large house, a…librarby(?), and a restaurant. You stopped in front of the restaurant, disbelief etched in every one of your skeletal features. 

“G-Grillby’s?” You exclaimed, reading the sign. A feeling filled your soul. HoPe.

Plus 1 HP.

It couldn’t be. Could it? You…shouldn’t get your hopes up. However…there was no harm in checking.

You felt nervous as you wrapped your phalanges around the handle. Your soul pounded in you chest. The only thought in your head was your begging for you to be right.

Your grip became stronger as you took a deep breath…and pulled the door open.

Multiple heads turned in your direction. Conversation died. Monsters of all kinds looked at you in bewilderment. You stepped in fully and let the door shut behind you. The monsters began whispering amongst themselves. You caught some of it.

“Another skeleton-?”

“I never seen them before-.”

“Didn’t they all die off-?”

“What will the King think of them-?”

“Should we tell the doc-?”

You felt uncomfortable under their stares. The uncomfortableness almost suffocating. You slowly walked towards the bar and sat down in the stool, wishing for the whispers to stop.

Luckily, they did. After a moment they went back to whatever they were doing, and you were able to breathe easier. You remembered you had the gold that Toriel gave you. Maybe you could get something. You looked at the menu.

“…what the heck is a burger?” You mumbled to yourself. Maybe you would try it.

You became slightly distracted when you noticed the door to the kitchen opened. Your eye lights were drawn to the extra light entering through. You looked up and your breath caught in your throat.

“…Grillbz?”

 

~•~

Grillby had been looking for a bottle of Fire Whisky when he heard the bell chime. It wasn’t unusual in the slightest. What was, however, was how quiet it had gotten. Shrugging it off, he paid no mind, but he couldn’t help but be slightly curious.

Grillby closed his eyes for a moment and felt his soul hum. A moment later, he felt the hum of other souls. More specifically, the magic.

The magic he was detecting was normal enough, however, he felt the feeling of skeleton magic, which had not been there before. This was odd, as the only skeleton in the Underground should not have caused such a change in scene. So, he looked deeper.

Grillby focused on the skeleton magic alone. The frequency was definitely not the same workaholic skeleton he knew. It was, however, familiar. He had felt this frequency before, he just couldn’t place it. 

He found the bottle and made his way back to the bar. As soon as he opened the door, he heard his name being called. He looked toward the sound and almost dropped the bottle of Fire Whisky right then and there. Almost.

Sitting in a barstool, was a female skeleton, looking right at him. Her eye lights flickered between (s/c) and white and Grillby instantly knew who he was looking at. 

“(Y/n)?” He looked at her, almost not believing his eyes. His flames crackled and he stood there, unmoving.

 

~•~

You couldn’t believe your eye sockets. Standing before you, was Grillby. Definitely much older than you remembered. Now that you thought about it, he looked a lot like his father. You almost laughed at the thought.

Your sockets began to water and you smiled.

“It’s so good to see you.” You held back your tears as best you could. 

Grillby moved slow at first. He looked stunned as he walked over to you…and pulled you into a hug.

Plus 5 HP.

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End file.
